101 guide to applying for Internships abroad
By Diksha Pranjali
If you are a college student you might have heard people talking about internships. Either they already have bagged one or are desperately on the lookout for one. Internships play a crucial part in taking off your career after college. In today’s world, you need to have the experience to get experience. And what’s better than getting a holistic experience from an internship abroad!
Benefits and Challenges of Interning Abroad
An internship abroad is a fantastic way to test the waters in your chosen career path (or figure out the path that is best for you!) while immersing yourself in a culture that’s majorly different from the one you’ve spent your entire life in. It’s also a valuable addition to an individual’s resume. It demonstrates to a potential employer that the candidate has a more rounded work experience, understands how to adapt to diverse work environments and cultures, and possibly even speaks different languages; all qualities that are highly desirable.
However, interning abroad comes with its own set of challenges. You’ll have to figure out everything from which neighborhood to live in (if accommodation isn’t part of the deal) to negotiating your contract, settling into a new workplace and team, dealing with culture shock, and learning to speak a different language — all while still trying to impress your employer and colleagues! (and even working across different time zones, in case of virtual internships)
Foreign internships are broadly categorized into two — research internships and company-based industrial internships.
Research Internships
Start by identifying your area of interest and keep in mind that there is no such thing as the “best university”, as it all depends on your field and what you want to pursue. Visit the US News, QS rankings, and similar resources to learn about the leading institutes in the area of your interest. Begin by looking up the universities that interest you. Visit the homepages of the departments/research areas and the faculty. Visit the research institute pages and don’t forget to check out the summer projects, summer program, and related links which you may be eligible for.
Make a list of professors whose work you’re interested in. Read up on the group, what sort of work they do, their recent publications. Write a crisp cover letter stating intent, relevant credentials, and why their work interests you. If it’s a summer program, read the application details. You might need to include a statement of purpose(SOP). Provide a link to your homepage (if you have one) or attach your resume that highlights your background and skill-sets that would be relevant to the particular field/project/program.
Pro tip: Be sensible about the time that you send emails. Emails sent on Fridays will be forgotten by Monday morning. You want to be the first to get noticed so think time-zone-wise.
Industrial Internships
Most of the points above apply to company-based industrial internships as well. They generally have a portal for application or you get in touch with their HR and take it from there. But initially, you need to know what companies are relevant to your field so do your research there. The finest resources are seniors, faculty, and institute based bodies
Keep an eye out for programs that encourage summer student exchanges or visits from summer students. Don’t miss opportunities like UNICEF, UNESCO, and the World Bank.
Your best resources are those who’ve done this before you and those you can speak with face to face. Get in touch with your seniors and super seniors.
Finally, dream big, always try for the best, and make your mark!
